Carry On, My Wayward Son
by snarkyish
Summary: What if Mako and Korra were too late in saving Bolin from Amon's merciless hand? / oneshot.


"Bolin! NO!"

Korra spun around, only to see Bolin gone and Mako desperately trying to run after the men who had dragged his little brother away. In just a split-second, he was passed out on the ground and a chi-blocker quickly disappeared into the darkness. The auditorium was empty now, as the surprise appearance of the Avatar had created enough chaos to scare off everyone at the rally. The only ones left were several chi-blockers, a now knocked-out Mako, and the Avatar herself. Even Amon was gone, and at registering this thought, Korra felt her stomach sink.

She darted to Mako's side on the stage, nudging his shoulder to make him come to his senses. He groaned miserably and looked at her, pain in his eyes.

"Where did they take him?" Korra urged.

He pointed toward the darkness behind him, in the direction where Amon and two of his men had dragged Bolin. "Somewhere that way." He closed his eyes and brought an arm to his left side. Obviously, talking wasn't helping ease the pain. "I'll be fine here. You have to… Korra, please."

She gave him a silent nod, though she had a bad feeling where this was headed.

The hallway was entirely dark, except for a small sliver of light poking out of a room at the very end. Korra moved quickly but cautiously, in case Amon's henchmen were ready to attack from the darkness. She wanted Bolin safe. But she also didn't want to lose her own bending.

She approached the room slowly, and the deafening silence made her wonder if the men had escaped. When she peeked into the room, she realized she was right; the room only contained a silhouette of someone sitting in the corner, broad-shouldered and head downcast.

"Bolin?" She pushed the door open. The creaking sounded almost mournful.

The dark shadow turned, and the light cast against two bright green eyes staring back at her. "Korra..."

She ran to him, falling to her knees and bringing up a hand to caress his shoulder. His hands and feet had already been untied; filthy Amon knew that hindering the benders of their skill was worse than leaving them to rot. And by Bolin's silence and sodden expression, Korra already knew.

She was too late.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you," she said hoarsely, still in shock. Her words hurt Bolin, but why? He had felt inferior already, being captured and unable to fend for himself. Now he was robbed of his one true skill, of the ability to fight in probending tournaments, of the ability to protect his older brother if ever he needed to.

Again, he felt like a burden, just as he had felt in dragging Korra and Mako into this chaos.

He wanted to lash out, to say, "I never asked you to save me." He wanted to yell, to punch a wall, to unleash that rage. But Korra was sitting before him, burying her face into her hands as she was overcome with soft sobs. And so he could only bite his lip and not say a word. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'll be okay," was all he could muster up. Anger turned to sadness, and so he let the tears fall.

A tall silhouette appeared in the doorway, and silence was followed by the quick footsteps of Mako running to his little brother's side. He had already understood Bolin's fate from seeing the embrace and the tears while standing at the door. They exchanged heartbroken glances before Bolin looked away, staring at the ground, though his gaze seemed to penetrate something more distant.

Immediately after, Mako punched the wall with such violent force that it snapped Bolin out of his trance. Even Korra finally looked up, breaking away from their hug to wipe her eyes. Bolin stared at Mako guiltily. It was obvious who was the more temperamental of the two. Mako ran to the hall, shouting as he cast fireballs down into the remnants of the already-destroyed auditorium, only yelling in grunts and profanities. The other two watched him silently and sadly until he walked back into the room, looking tired and defeated, before collapsing onto the ground and burying his face in his hands.

Finally, Bolin got up. After exchanging silent nods with Korra, he walked over to Mako, hovering quietly over him.

"I'm sorry, big brother. I just can't seem to stay out of trouble." Bolin laughed softly, but his words were low, with strong tinges of sadness and self-deprecation. It was very unlike the Bolin that either of the other two knew.

Mako stared up at Bolin with glossy eyes so obviously trying to withhold angry tears. "You were only trying to help our situation," he said shakily, but kept his emotions under control. A rarity. "Don't you see, Bolin? You were in danger, and you lost your bending. Aren't I supposed to protect you? Isn't that the promise I made after Mom and Dad died?" He clenched his fists, ready to reach his boiling point. "I couldn't even do that!"

Bolin closed his eyes, letting the reality of the situation sink in. But he was a natural optimist, and he couldn't stand anymore tears, whether they were someone else's or his own. "I'll find a way to manage without my bending," he assured, opening his eyes again. He held out a hand to Mako, lifting him up off the sawdust-covered floor. "Nonbenders do it all the time, don't they? Plus, I'm pretty strong without having to use bending already. It might be hard to adjust to… but I won't give up that easily."

"You won't have to," a voice said from behind them. Slinging each of her arms over the two brothers, Korra gave them both an optimistic grin. She had been watching their interaction, noticing how forgiving of each other they were despite the direness of the situation. Curiously, she wondered what it would be like to have such a relationship with someone. They were brothers, after all, and she'd never had siblings. But one thing she understood was that they would never give up on each other. And she wasn't intending to give up on them, either.

"How's that?" Mako asked curiously.

"Yeah, isn't it irreversible?" Bolin wondered. But Korra's grin was so unfaltering and positive. He yearned for that kind of strength in that moment, almost jealously, but couldn't help admiring her.

Korra tightened her grip on their shoulders. "Only if you believe it is. There's got to be a way, and we're going to find it." The three exchanged glances. "We're not giving up on saving Republic City from this monster. And Bolin, we're going to get your bending back.


End file.
